


In Their Elements

by MadameEngineer



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Canon Compliant, Dorks in Love, F/F, Fluff, Korrasami - Freeform, Road Trip, Writerleft, a touch of angst, all of the fluff, threehoursfromtroy, well wishes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-07
Updated: 2018-06-07
Packaged: 2019-05-19 09:49:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14871459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadameEngineer/pseuds/MadameEngineer
Summary: After a few busy weeks, Korra and Asami finally get some time alone together. When she finds out Asami has to go away on business for a few days, Korra gets the idea to make a road trip out of it, hoping that for once their vacation will go off without a hitch.





	1. Small Steps

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Writerleft](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writerleft/gifts).



> For the wonderful author and all around amazing woman Shannon. We wish you a speedy recovery and all the well wishes in the world!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra returns home after some avatar business, while Asami is embroiled in a new push for her company. The pair are reunited, and come up with a plan.

The clock ticked by, as Asami sat at her desk trying to work her way through an absolute mountain of paperwork. She liked the melody of the clock, it kept her focused and in the moment, rather than allowing her thoughts to wander as they so often could during evenings like this. Every trick like that helped right now, as her hand was already beginning to cramp. Her eyes were beginning to glaze and droop with exhaustion, and still there was so much to do. Caffeine and her own brisk work mode could only cover for so much. 

The clock struck eight, and it was enough to convince her to take a moment to rest. She sat her pen down, cracked her knuckles, and allowed her eyes to close for one blissful moment. Dark orange light was painted across the office, lines of the setting sun were cut by the blinds at her window. Mixed with that light, was the ethereal glow of the spirit portal. When she opened her eyes, she stood to look out that window, into the city, and into that towering column of light far away.

It had been nearly year, and the city wasn’t entirely back on its feet, and in a way it never would be. It had changed forever, and it wasn’t the only one. She’d helped to make that change go as smoothly as it could. She wished to have done more, and was still trying. However, life slowly goes back to normal it seemed. The city’s vibrant lights switch on, the cars pass beneath street lamps and vines. Those were as good enough of signs as anything. 

Her arms crossed as she stepped closer to the glass. She looked down at the street, and saw people going about their business. Around them colorful spirits walked, waddled, flew and swam. Life has certainly changed she thought, a smile growing across her face, forcing its way through the exhaustion. There’d been no place quite like Republic City, and now that was truer than ever.

A knock at her door shook her from contemplation. “Come in,” she called.

The door opened, and one of her assistants entered, paper in hand. “Telegram for you miss.” She offered, handing the telegram to her. Asami looked down, and knew who it was from instantly.

I’m guessing you’re hard at work right now. Honestly I hope you take some breaks, I know you’re a workaholic. Love you, but you know it's true, no one can keep up this pace. In case you don’t want to sleep at the office… again because I know you have, I just wanted to let you know I’m back! Already home and looking forward to seeing you again. I know I say this every time but it’s been too long. Naga misses you too. Hope to see you soon. -Korra

PS. You should probably hurry, you know the kinda trouble I can get into by myself.

The smile remained as she read through the telegram. Korra had been away on avatar business that had kept them apart for a week. Not terribly long, especially considering their history, but still it felt long overdue to see her in person. 

In truth, Asami had been looking for a reason to collapse back home, and this was just the ticket. However, responsibility took precedent, at least for now. Those requisitions and work shifts weren’t going to sign themselves. She was as busy now as ever, as future industries was opening up a new branch in a city further into the earth kingdom, but Korra wasn’t wrong, another all nighter of this, and she’d end up a hollow drooling husk. ‘A workaholic’ she scoffed. Coming from the avatar that said a lot.

“Thank you, if you could, send a reply to my home office that I’ll be back in a few hours once I wrap up here.” She said. Her assistant nodded and left, closing the door behind her. Asami wanted to leave now too, but she could at least get a little more work done. Though, for those next few hours, focusing would probably be a little harder knowing who was waiting for her.

By the time she got home, it was much later then she’d hoped. The lights of Republic city glistened across the bay in that beautiful way, matching the golden lights of her mansion as she moved up the path to the main door. To her surprise given her sleep deprivation she still noticed her car, the older model out of place, and parked on the drive. Asami didn’t remember touching that one for at least a week. She wandered over to take note, and could smell the gasoline scent of a vehicle after it had been running, along with a bit of burnt rubber as tire marks were scorched into one section of the road. It didn’t take a genius to guess who’d taken it for a spin, which caused a very amusing/terrifying mental picture to flash through Asami’s mind.

On the one hand she was flattered, but on the other a small part of her worried she’d broken something. Something of her own and not the car, so she picked up the pace and fumbled to open the main doors to get inside.

The main hall was as quiet as ever, with only the slight hum of electric lamps. She didn’t see anyone in the study off to her right, so she guessed that Korra was somewhere upstairs. Suddenly the silence was broken with the thundering beat of paws, as Naga came into view. Asami braced herself for the licking and the possible happy tackle Naga always gave her. Tonight though she was more gentle, not knocking them both to the floor. Instead she simply nuzzled her great white head against Asami’s. “Hey there girl.” she said, scratching her behind the ear. Korra hadn’t been kidding, it seemed like Naga was positively homesick. She was wagging her tail furiously, before letting out a titanic yawn, and slowly backing off. Everyone was tired it seemed. 

Asami moved to the stairs and as she slid her hand against the marble railing, a sort of satisfaction came over her. She was still getting used to returning home to someone. It had been four years since her father was taken away, and in that time she’d gotten used to returning to an empty mansion every night. She’d actually taken to the habit of sleeping at the office, so she wouldn’t have to deal with it, though she tried to only do this if no one would notice. This now? This felt so right, even if she sometimes came home to a mess, which wasn’t uncommon with the avatar.

And a mess she found, though by Korra’s standards it was manageable. Asami found her asleep, sprawled out across a sofa in her room, arm across her forehead, and oblivious to the world. Laid out around her, were a menagerie of books and manuals. Upon a closer look, Asami could see that they were all about cars. In the back of her mind, a small voice cried out, oh no she did break something!? But she tried to bury the thought, trusting Korra more than jumping to conclusions.

Actually, it looked more like she was studying Asami thought. A lot of these books were hers, or things that were released through her company. It looked like Korra gathered up as much as she could and went on a night long reading bender. 

A smile grew across Asami’s lips. Something about that, was amazingly sweet. That she’d go so far out of her way to share an interest. From the day they met, Korra had always loved to ride, but working on the mechanics, and driving herself was something she’d continued to struggle with. Though to her credit she’d never wrecked anything. In fact that made her have a leg up on Asami herself. The effort of this is was what made her heart melt, and so careful not to make any noise, she sat her bag to the side and crept over to Korra, sitting beside her. Korra stirred, but her eyes didn’t open.

She took a moment to take her in. In her waking moments, she was all intensity and passion. Fire rearing to flourish. In sleep, she looked so very peaceful. All the inner worry and responsibility was washed away, leaving only serene beauty. Asami leaned down, her hair brushing against Korra’s cheek as she planted a gentle, upside down kiss. “Long night?” she asked, voice soft and measured.

Korra shifted, then sniffed, before her eyes shot open as she lunged up. Her face alone was enough to get Asami to start laughing, with Korra looking both confused and a touch embarrassed, brushing at her eyes.

“As nice of a wake up call as that was, you could warn me next time.” she said, straightening out her bed hair and getting to her feet. “How long was I out?”

“It’s one o'clock.” Asami replied.

Korra shot her a surprised look. “Must have been more tired than I thought.” she said with a yawn as she stretched her arms. Asami thought she might have flexed too to show off, even if it wasn’t intentional, she took notice.

She smiled. “Well I don’t blame you.” she gestured at the field of books before them. “It’s not the most exciting material.”

Korra shrugged, and began picking everything up. “It’s… dense, but actually it wasn’t so bad.”

Asami stood up to help her and nodded. “It helps to practice. Oh, by the way, speaking of were you practicing out there with my car?” she asked, narrowing her eyes playfully.

Korra’s eyes widened and she almost visibly gulped as she scratched at the back of her head. “Um… maybe?”

“And?”

“I didn’t hit anything.” Korra offered, and Asami smiled.

“Well small steps. We’ll make a racer out of you yet. I can see it now, the first automobile racing avatar. Think of the sponsors.” 

A wry grin grew over Korra’s face. “Would you be afraid of the competition? If I ever beat you would we still be friends?”

“Depends on by how much you beat me.” Asami winked. “For now let's focus on not stalling out the clutch.” she mused, as the pair set everything on the desk. “How did things go today?”

Korra’s bravado seemed to deflate as she threw up a frustrated hand, placing the other on her hip. “Wanna guess?”

“Hmmm, help us oh mighty avatar, fix all of our problems, and we’ll blame you for anything that goes wrong. That about the gist of it?” she asked, taking a seat at the desk.

Korra nodded. “Pretty much, with a helpful dose of advice on how to do the job, but I’m getting used to ignoring that.”

“Join the club.” Asami laughed before an overdue yawn overtook her.

Korra smiled, before a darker look overtook her. “There was more trouble with the spirits. Nothing they caused, but it seems like a bit of a black market is popping up. A few gangs of bandits have been gathering them up the same way they do animals. Whatever they’re doing, it can’t be good.”

Asami listened intently. Anything involving spirits weighed heavily on Korra ever since she allowed the spirit portal to remain open. Everything good or bad that happened she would believe was her fault. If spirits were being kidnapped, she’d place that blame on herself, and she’d do everything in her power to put an end to that. Knowing this, Asami’s hand found its way to Korra’s, and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “It’ll be okay.” She offered. “Cause they have you to look out for them, and the more time humans spend with spirits, the less they’ll stand for that sort of thing. It won’t last.” it was a hopeful thought, but still she tried to cling to it. Human and spirit relations were still tense, but they were getting better. 

Korra squeezed her hand back and the smile returned. “I hope so. I wanted to make the world a better place for everyone, not worse.”

“You have… I promise you that.” Asami assured. Korra put the weight of everything on herself, and she didn’t need to. There would always be help when it was needed.

Korra’s expression lightened as she tried to focus on Asami. “What about you?” she asked, taking a seat at the edge of the table. It was nice to see how comfortable she’d become here.

“Oh you know, there’s a lot still to do. Just making the final preparations for the factory opening a few days from now. It’s nothing too exciting. Though a lot of the competition would love to see it go wrong.”

“Bunch of buzzard wasps.” Korra crossed her arms. That was one thing Asami certainly loved, Korra always had her back in moments like this.

“That’s business for you, Varrick would say. Though probably not the best example.” she sighed. “Everything is in order though so we should be okay to get things started without a hitch… oh I just jinxed it didn’t I?” Asami chuckled nervously to herself, her anxiety showing.

Korra laughed. “Hey don’t worry about it. If anyone has this it’s you. You’ve faced down tougher things than this before.” she beamed. Then, she seemed to ponder something for a moment, a look of deep thought passing over her face before asking. “That’s in Chunseong right?”

“Yeah, why?” it was nearly a hundred miles away. No great distance, expanding was going to start small. Some of the roads were rough, but they were there at least. 

A wide grin appeared on Korra’s face, goofy, but utterly sincere. “Wanna go together? I just got a telegram about some trouble with spirits in that region.” she offered to go with such glee that Asami almost didn’t suspect that this was so she could watch her back in case any of that corporate trouble showed its face.

“I don’t want to inconvenience you.” she tried to argue but Korra waved the concern away.

“Nah, don’t worry about it. It could be fun! We could even make a trip out of it on the way there and back.” she was excitable and it was starting to be infectious. Three days on the road with Korra? Actually sounded wonderful, they’d not gotten the chance to spend that much time together in a long while. Just her, Korra, and the road. 

Asami pondered this, running a finger along her chin, while Korra looked ready to go right that moment. “Alright, I’d love that,” she grinned.

Korra’s grin took on a self satisfied look. “Yeah! It’ll be awesome, we can probably find some sort of trouble to get into.”

“Plus it’ll be a chance for you to practice on the road.” Asami smirked.

The excitement turned to fear in an instant as the confidence drained from Korra. She laughed anxiously, “Great… sounds perfect.”

Asami smiled, and stood, adding yet another kiss to the night on Korra’s cheek, to try to calm those nerves. “You’ll be great.” she said, before wrapping her up in a hug. It was so wonderful to feel her in her arms once again. “I missed you so much.” She whispered.

Korra returned the hug tightly. “I missed you more.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh gosh! I went long on this one! I used to be able to write short I swear, so I hope this being a longer story is okay! :3


	2. Just us and the Road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a little break down of the car, Asami tosses the keys to Korra in the hopes that a little practice will do her some good.

The bright afternoon sun shone down on the two of them as a light breeze caressed them, gliding through their hair and over the shimmering car. Korra was the one causing that breeze, with gentle movements of her fingers. Asami was hard at work underneath the car. Korra, with her free hand, was lifting the car by metal bending. It was a bit of a strain, but it was manageable. She was smirking, glad to help and happy to know Asami trusted her that much to be under car right now. Plus she was a little self satisfied that their first car trouble hadn’t been her fault.

A rock had flattened a tire, and poked a hole in something in the undercarriage. The road had been rough in some places, too rough for the car apparently. Korra imagined that for most people, this would be a total pain. Asami though was working away, happy as a clam. It was cliche to use the phrase, but this was definitely her element. She was never more at ease than when a wrench was in her hand and there was something to fix. She’d been practically giddy.

Asami had already fixed the tire. With the spare in place, the flat was stored into the trunk. She rolled out from under the car just enough so that her head poked out, grease stains splitting a cheek and one of the rims of her goggles. “Little to the left please.” She grinned, completely enjoying this. Korra thought she was never more beautiful then she was in moments like this. Excited, working, new ideas popping up in her mind. It was amazing to watch, and she may have sighed a little taking that in. 

Korra obliged, taking care not to drop the thing as Asami rolled back below. She heard the clink of metal on metal as she worked away as Korra watched with interest. “Having fun?” Korra asked wryly.

“Yup.” Asami replied, out of sight. “At least this time there aren’t any sand sharks around.” 

Korra shuddered. Their standards could not be that low could they? “You’re loving this.” she said as statement more than a question. 

Asami laughed and rolled back out again. “Alright, we should be good to go.” She said, hopping up to her feet and wiping her brow. “Let me just check under the hood real fast to make sure everything is gonna run okay.” She jogged over to the front of the car as Korra slowly sat it down. Then she followed close behind as she kept up the gentle wind. It wasn’t, burning hot, but the breeze was certainly pleasant to have around.

Asami set to work, fiddling with the engine she thought as that same breeze caught her hair, tied back with a red ribbon, causing it to sway ever so gently. Asami smiled. “That is so handy.”

Korra grinned self satisfied. “I know that’s why you keep me around.” She teased.

“It’s one reason for sure.” Asami replied, straining against one of the bolts. “Here, could you?” she asked. Korra stepped forward, and used her bending to twist the bolt more firmly into place. Asami smiled. “Thank you.” she said with a light lilt in her voice towards the end. 

She fiddled around a bit more, making sure everything was pristine and perfect before brushing her hands together and placing them on her hips. “There, it should be smooth driving from here.” she was just so pleased with herself that it almost made Korra wonder if she was showing off? If she was, it was working. 

“You’re the mechanical master.” she said as Asami closed the hood, allowing the wind to fade. Asami beamed, but began to walk towards the passenger side door. Korra was about to ask, when from within the pocket of her dress, Asami withdrew the keys and tossed them to Korra who reflexively caught them even as the jumbled words began to pour from her mouth. “I uh… wait are you sure? I mean we only just fixed it. Shouldn’t I-?”

Asami sat in the passenger seat as Korra kept going, looking completely pleased, satisfied and confident with this decision. “You’ll do fine.” she winked. 

Korra swallowed, and looked down both sides of the rode to make sure no one was looking. You say that, she thought, but I remember last time. 

“You’re getting better.” she insisted. Before gesturing out to the wide open grassy fields surrounding them. “Plus there’s nothing to hit for miles.” she laughed.

Korra narrowed her eyes and pressed out her lower jaw. “Oh thanks. That’s comforting.” She opened the door and slid into the driver seat, feeling the lush red leather at her back. Of course the car was luxurious and absurdly comfortable. She ran her hands along the steering wheel, and let out a prolonged sigh. “Good luck to both of us I guess.” she mused, before inserting the key and turning it.

The convertible roared to life with a vigor that begged to be unleashed. The vibrations of the engine seemed to be smooth, and everything was in working order. Of course it was she thought, look who she was setting next to. Asami sat, resting her head against her hand and looked on with pleasant confidence. Korra appreciated that but was still nervous, though admittedly less so than she’d been when they’d first tried that. To be fair, of the two of them, she had never crashed anything, not even that first day whereas flying, driving or riding with Asami had a fifty fifty chance of murdering that poor vehicle. It hadn’t exactly gone perfectly, but hey neither had airbending. Though she was slower to pick up on this. 

Asami said nothing, and Korra knew enough that she didn’t need her too. She gave a little pressure to the gas as she looked forward and back on the road. It was utterly deserted, which was nice as there was no pressure other than what she put on herself. As she picked up speed, with delicate precision she pressed at the clutch and shifted the stick. It went smoothly, and the pace of their jaunt quickened. Asami was smiling at her, and it was hard to not get a tingling feeling in her gut whenever that happened. It was a great feeling, to have her be proud. She didn’t dare look at her fully though as her eyes were glued to the road, but even in her periphery, she could see the red of her lips, the dark splotches that had dotted her face she’d yet to wipe away, her raven hair gently billowing in the wind. It was a hard thing not to look at, and was in Korra’s eye, the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.

She tried to focus though, keeping her eye on that long stretch of asphalt. Their speed increased, and so there was another shift into gear three which set them at a reasonably comfortable pace. “I’m just gonna stay here for now I think.” she said, the nervousness clear in her voice.

“Sounds good.” Asami said. “I’m alright with a cruise, and anyone else can just deal with passing.” the wind was rushing through her hair now, and it almost looked like she was flying as she stuck her arms up and beamed enjoying the ride. Naturally as she rarely got to ride, always the driver and never the passenger. “As long as your comfortable.” she assured, placing a hand on her thigh. “You’re doing great so far.”

“Thanks, let’s see how long this lasts. How much further do we have to go?” she asked, trying her best to hide that nervousness with a smile.

“About a hundred and fifty miles.” Asami declared.

Korra almost trembled at that, but in truth, she was enjoying herself, and taking better to this than she had before. Asami was right, practice helped the most. Though what put her most at ease, and the reason she was having the most fun, was because of who was sitting beside her. Korra dared a glance at her, and saw she was looking out across the green fields to their right. For a moment, Asami turned her head to her, and saw she was looking. So she offered a smile before looking back out across the view. There was nothing more satisfying than that, in her face, there had been complete and utter trust. That alone meant a lot given Korra could absolutely kill the both of them with one slip up, but in Asami’s expression it seemed like that thought couldn’t possibly be further from her mind. She was loving this, and so was Korra. This had been a great idea if she did say so herself. Asami didn’t suspect a thing!

It had been a wonderful trip so far. The pair taking time to stop and check out a few things on the way. The highway system wasn’t as developed as it was around Republic city, but there were still things to visit. Little Earth kingdom villages with happy people who couldn’t wait to share a drink with you. A park housing a century old forest that spread into the side of cascading mountains. Passing by the coast even was a wonder at high speeds, seeing that endless horizon of crystal blue. All the while, the two had chatted and gossiped and caught up. Put more simply, they’d been your average couple. Sure there was talk of avatar things, and CEO things, but there was also talk of new haircuts, ideas for renovations on the mansion, and a new form to Korra’s bending. Just normal things, without a risk of danger or doom. The pair didn’t get that chance often enough and were more than happy to seize it. 

They cruised along at a gentle pace and were not once passed. Korra was trying desperately to focus, but she’d found a sort of calming groove and all the tension had left her. Driving was starting to feel more natural, so she chanced some more talk. “I haven’t been this way before.” she said. “Or I guess, I haven’t on the ground.”

“It’s a lot different then the view from an airship that’s for sure.” Asami replied. “It’s so beautiful, and I’m glad everything seems to be calming down.”

That was true. This area as far as they knew had never really seen much battle during the unification struggle, but the entire earth kingdom still bore the scars of that time. However like in Republic City, people were slowly but surely putting their lives back together. Life went on as they say, and most everyone they’d met on the way seemed to be cheerful and happy. Even the spirits they’d run across were amiable and not snippy. 

Asami continued, turning to Korra. “I bet that feels good. I mean I know there’s always something going on. But it’s good to know its worth it.” she said, gesturing at a village off in the distance as they passed.

“It is, but I’m also glad to see others trying to do their part.” she offered, hoping that didn’t sound off. 

She must not have, because Asami smiled. “I know it may not feel like it sometimes, but I really think things are changing. People are finding their own strength, or finding it in each other.” She grinned proudly. “I think you’re inspiring that.”

Korra waved her hand. “Can’t take all the credit. I had help too.” she mused. “You set a pretty awesome example too you know. I mean come on, you have to have some admirers, and people who look up to you.”

Asami shrugged but nodded. “I do my best.” she said calmly.

Korra smirked. “Mhm.” she’d seen enough newspaper dossiers and magazines with either her name or face on it to think any less. For sure in Republic City, thousands of little girls and boys looked up to Asami. CEO’s and inventors had their own circles of fame and recognition, and Asami was as high in that ranking as one could get. 

“I bet that factory will help.” Korra continued. “It’ll do some good for the folks around here.”

“That’s what we’re hoping.” Asami answered, shifting in her seat. Korra could tell a flicker of anxiety was poking through her cool exterior. Asami usually had an air of calmness about her, like she had things figured out, but every now and again, uncertainty peaked though. “I was a lot more sure of it a month ago though. Now with it so close… I guess all the what if’s are popping up in my head.”

“It’s gonna help build tools to help people farm. Roads to help them get to markets easier. Help set up better water systems with pipes that won’t rust after a few years. I could go on you know.” She said, assured of the idea. “Trust me, it’s a good thing you’re doing here, and if anything doesn’t work out right, you’ll be there to fix it. It’s what you do.”

Asami looked at her, with that vulnerable smile that said she so wanted to believe her. Risking it, Korra removed one of her clamped hands from the steering wheel and used it to find Asami’s. “You got this.” she promised.

Asami looked at her thankfully, and still it seemed like the layers of the young brilliant genius were peeled away revealing the nervous girl beneath. It was easy to forget sometimes, but even now, Asami was absurdly young to be running a company. Korra knew there was a long list of those who have a interest in seeing her fail, a bunch of piranha's ready to chomp at the slightest mistake. In that way, she thought it must have felt a lot like she did as the avatar sometimes. The pressure was enormous, and to her eyes, Asami had always handled it with dignity, grace, and no small amount of fire. Even when things seemed shaky, she’d always try to meet the challenge somehow, and that hadn't changed. 

The moment passed between them, and then faded. The line of conversation was over, and suddenly they were back on the trip, the vacation. Asami turned to the road. “See? You’re getting the hang of this. I knew you’d have a knack to drive.”

Korra wasn’t so sure, but she was more comfortable now, and she was self aware enough to know she had a reputation for reckless confidence. She’d never really been one to back down from a challenge, and so she decided to play into that. She picked up her speed, and moved to up the gear shift yet again. Now the wind roared passed them as the change went off without a hitch or a wreck. She smiled, not having known this feeling behind the wheel, though she had under her glider. Their speed felt right, natural for the road, like what it was made for.

Asami was grinning from ear to ear as Korra narrowed her eyes at her and rested one elbow on the seat to her side, trying to look cool. “Impressed?”

“Very… uh Korra?” her voice started to raise in pitch as she gripped onto her arm rests. “You might wanna look at the road!” She was almost yelling by the end.

Korra did and saw she was about to veer off the road onto a dirt path. Her other hand smacked back on to the wheel, swerving to try to correct herself. The tires stayed on the road, but Korra pulled them over anyway, as her knuckles were white with their grip. Dust swirled around them, as she looked over to Asami, breathing heavily, and hair falling in front of her face. Korra began to laugh. 

“Still don’t quite got the hang of it.”

Asami let out a sigh, but was laughing too. “Small steps.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For real though, I think Asami is the more dangerous to drive. Like it takes more than one hand to count all the things she's crashed, but in fairness no one crashes with more style.


	3. Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On their way back, Korra and Asami stop for some lunch and to take in the sight of a valley teaming with spirits who are a bit more mischievous then expected.

The factory opening went well as it could. Asami had been nervous the whole time though she tried not to show it. Her mind just thought of everything that could go wrong, the sabotage or protestors or any one of a hundred things. In the end though it had been smooth sailing. Having the avatar wandering around probably didn’t hurt. If they’re were any troublemakers, that would have made them think twice.

The pair had spent the day there as Asami tried to mingle with as many of the new workers as she could. Her own words to Korra had been spun back at her. To see their smiling thankful faces to have work and to know things were going to get better, to have that at least partly on her was a lot to take in though she supposed she should have been used to it. Her father had always treated his workers well, and he’d passed that thinking down for her. There was a touch of irony there, but in truth she was glad to have at least that part of him still and tried to live by that example. It was strange to think what parts of our parents stuck with us she thought.

They spent the night, and in the morning said their goodbyes, and were off back on the road. They took a different route, wanting to mix things up, and again stopped whenever they fancied, and they fancied a lot. 

Presently, the car was parked at the top of an emerald hill, with grass slowly swaying in the breeze. The hill overlooked the most picturesque valley she thought she’d ever seen. Lined with mountains at it’s back, capped with snow. In the center was a brilliant lake, that reflected the blue of the sky perfectly only interrupted with the occasional perfectly fluffy cloud. A few woods dotted either side of the lake, and in and out of those woods or the water fluttered a menagerie of spirits. It looked like a hot spot for them, something seemed to attract them here because a few seemed to be flying in.

The pair sat perched on their hood after Asami had promised it would be okay to do so, and were enjoying a pleasant lunch. The day was much cooler so the metal of the hood wasn’t burning their behinds. Korra scarfed her food down hungrily as Asami took a more serene pace, wanting to take in the sight. 

“What do you think they’re here for?” she asked, gesturing to the spirits.

Korra was stretching out her arm after a period of driving and looked on. “Some places are running with more spiritual energy then others. This place looks pretty untouched, so I bet that it’s pretty potent.”

Asami had noticed spirits seemed to cluster in specific places. She hadn’t interacted with them nearly as much as Korra of course. The first time she had had the most contact with them was in the desert after their little sand sailing excursion. That village had been filled with them, just floating around, minding their own business until they’d gotten a little too curious in there's. As a matter of fact, a pair of purple dragonflies were flying in circles around their car, illuminating them with a pale glow. Without a fugitive to chase, she didn’t mind them. Actually she was quite taken with them, they’re beauty blending well with the scenery. Though she wondered if they just wanted food. 

That brought a question she’d never thought of before. “Do spirits eat?” she asked.

Korra paused to ponder. “I mean people sometimes but other than that…”

“Seriously?”

Korra nodded happily. “Not these though they seem nice. I don’t know, you can try, I don’t see the harm. The worst they can do is spit it out.”

Asami raised an eyebrow. “I really don’t think that’s the worst.” she said more to herself as she broke off a piece of the bread she was munching on. As she did that, the dragonflies seemed to flutter a little which made her think she was on the right track.

She tossed the bread into the air and both darted at it like they were shot out of a bow. In less then a second they’d devoured it, before continuing their circling pattern. “I’d take that as a yeah.” Korra smiled, before looking out at the woods to their right. “Uh oh.”

“What?” Asami asked, before she looked to see about a dozen more fly out from the canopy of the trees to start flying around too. A few other spirits came rushing out on legs, and looked at the pair of humans like sad dogs begging for food.

“Now you’ve done it.” Korra teased as the spirits circled in, looking for more food. A few of them began to flutter around closer to her as she let out a sigh. Those dog like ones, glowed a bright orange, and looking closer were actually a bit closer to some tigers she’d seen, just with slimmer bodies and wilder hair at the end of their tails. Their eyes were adorably large and glossy and impossible to resist. She thought they might even have been whimpering.

Asami let out a sigh, though she didn’t mind. She was full anyway, so she smiled and began to break apart the rest of the bread as much as she could before scattering it around, tossing it out into the air and across the ground. “That’s all we have.” she said sympathetically. “Sorry.”

“You are too cute.” Korra smirked, watching the frenzy of feeding that happened afterwards. The dragonfly’s caught much before they landed, but there was enough to go around for the tiger dogs. They scarfed it up with glee, their tails waving as they did. 

Asami shot her a look as she laughed. “They looked hungry! You saw their eyes.” she defended. She looked back at them, and was taken in by the cuteness. “Aw I wonder what their names are?”

“They can understand you you know?” Korra smiled. 

Asami waved her away. “I know, I just meant like in general. Oh nevermind.” 

“They do seem friendly.” Korra offered, as a few of those dragonflies flew around her outstretched hand. Asami continued to focus on them, watching the few tiger spirits eat. She’d been close to spirits before, and that had gone both good and bad, so she wasn’t exactly unused to this. How many humans had ever ridden a phoenix dragon she wondered? Still she wasn’t totally at ease in most cases. This all seems pleasant enough she thought just a moment too soon as behind her, she heard the sound of rummaging.

She turned, and saw one of those tiger’s in the car. It had crawled up the side and was now scavenging around in her bag. At first, she wasn’t too bothered. That was until she saw it’s head withdraw from the bag, and her personal tool kit clamped between it’s jaws. “Hey!” she cried, trying to scramble over the windshield and into the seat. The tiger was fast however, and just barely slipped through her fingers. All she felt was a fluff of hair. 

Asami climbed out after it, as Korra was leaping to her feet. She thought she heard her mumble, “Why do I always have to say something?” Asami cast a glance back at her and swore that she was grinning at this.

Laugh it up she wanted to say, when she saw another one of the tiger spirits, this one bright gold, had somehow gotten it’s teeth around Korra’s entire satchel. Korra saw this too and dove after the spirit but missed it. Now it was Asami’s turn to laugh as she continued to chase after the thief. The spirits that had been clustered around scattered, leaving the two women to chase after their targets. Korra’s led her further into the field down the hill. Asami’s made off for the treeline not a few yards away.

The spirit passed under that dark canopy, with trees that soared up into the sky dozens of yards over head. Little glimpses of sunlight dotted the wood floor, but the darkness of it all stood in quite the contrast to the sunny day. Luckily for her, the spirit was bright as a torch. Unluckily though, it was much, much faster. She only barely kept pace as it darted nimbly over fallen branch and ditch alike, swerving gracefully around the trees. She was starting to lose ground but she wasn’t going to give up. “Please!” she tried, picking up the pace. It was worth the shot. “That means a lot to me!” she cried. It had been one of her fathers. The spirit seemed to pause, but then bolted ahead into what seemed to be a clearing.

Asami’s feet pounded against the moss and foliage as she broke through the tree line into that clearing, and it was enough to take her breath away. The trees formed almost a perfect circle around this spot, lined with lush grass and at the center of which rested a clear pool, with a silver rock that stabbed upwards, the tip of its jagged point illuminated fully by the light. It was beautiful, an oasis within a paradise. It was like a sanctuary. She only took it in for a moment, as she saw her quarry sitting by the pools edge. 

It didn’t move, but it was looking at her with sharp eyes. Trying not to startle it or give it cause to snap at her, she held up her hands as she tried to catch her breath. “Hey there.” she said softly. “Just want my stuff please. No reason for us to get off on the wrong foot.”

The spirit looked at her with curiosity, and if she read it right, prankish glee. “Go on then.” a smooth voice echoed through the clearing. At first she thought it was the tiger spirit, but it’s mouth hadn’t moved. From out of the tree line, a pale glow seemed to be growing. Asami looked and saw what looked to her like a fox, only wolf sized with a thick mane of fur around its neck step out from the trees. It’s coat was white, and glowed with that tell tale shimmer of a spirit. It nodded to her, and she heard another voice, this one lighter, almost childlike. 

“It was just a bit of fun.” the tone was defensive, and she turned back to the tiger spirit just in time to see it toss it’s head, throwing the tool kit up in the air towards her. She caught it, and was more than a little anxious at all this. She thought the tiger spirit might have smiled. “No hard feelings. Thanks for the food lady.” It said with self satisfied cheer, before turning around and swaggering away. 

“Don’t mention it.” Asami said almost reflexively as she opened up the roll to check if everything was there. Yes every piece she noted, rolling it back up and tying it tightly before placing it into her pocket.

“They like to cause mischief.” The fox said. She turned to see it had moved in an arch around her. Now that she was closer, she saw that it didn’t have a face in the way she normally saw. It remained rigid and pale, almost like a mask which made him difficult to read. Well moreso anyway. It’s eyes were dark, but somehow they still emanated a sageness to them.“They’re still not used to mingling with people.” 

Asami waved it away, any frustration gone. “No problem, we’re still getting used to it ourselves.” she replied. “You’ve all made quite a home here.” she wasn’t sure about how small talk with a spirit was meant to go, or if it was meant to at all. Still she tried though.

The fox didn’t seem to mind. “Yes. Some of us prefer to… separate ourselves from the humans.”

“Sorry to have disrupted that.” she said. “I’ll be out of your hair then. Thank you.” she finished, with a little bow. The fox was calm, but she got the impression she didn’t want to overstay that kindness as his last statement seemed to be a hinted order more than an observation. It was a feeling, almost tangible in the air, like when you were petting a dog, just before it was about to let you know it had had enough. She had to remember, as human as they could seem sometimes, they were not the same.

Asami turned, trying to remember the way she’d come in. She wondered if Korra had caught up with her own snatcher. Just then, she heard the snap of a twig. On instinct, she turned, and saw nothing but shadow among the trees. The spirits ears had perked up though, and it’s stance had changed to one of tensity. It hadn’t been him, or something he’d known. She wanted to ask, but felt now was a time for silence. She tried to listen for something, anything, but only heard the wind softly blowing through the leaves high above. 

Even masked, the spirit’s gaze seemed to fix on her with an intense mistrust, and in it’s dark eyes, she almost saw the question. “What did you bring here?”

Reflexively, her hand reached for a glove that wasn’t there. It was too late anyway.

There was a hiss of something gliding through the wind, and she saw something impact the fox, just before she felt a force collide with her chest as something at first constricted her, locking her arms in place. She tried to see what it was through the shade, when her nerves were set on fire, as a familiar sizzle sounded through the grove. All control left, as her muscles turned to jelly as she fell, hitting the ground with the grass padding her landing. 

The shock had dazed her, and her vision was blurred. Even in this state, she could make out the outlines of two men step into view. One above her, and one further off. She heard mumbling, but her ears were ringing too much to hear it clearly. Some part of her knew what had hit her, and knew to fight that haze the had electrified her brain. She was able to recover as she tried desperately to focus. The men were arguing. One’s hands were thrown up into the air.

“... didn’t know what else to do!” he shouted, though his voice came to her as if it were underwater. “There wasn’t supposed to be anyone here!”

“You could have let her run off! What are we supposed to do now?” They were panicked. She saw one lifting up the fox spirit and slinging it over its back. 

She tried to say something, but it only came out as a incoherent mumble. The one above her turned back to look her in the eye. “She’s awake!” he cried.

Her thoughts were mired in a fog, but one was clear. Korra. Was she okay?

“I told you.” the other one called. “Oh blast it all.” there was a pause, and he shook his head. “Nothing for it. Grab her and bring her along.”

There was more talking after that, but the haze seemed to double as her vision went in and out of blackness. She felt herself lifted up, but only numbly. A distant thought told her fingers to move, but nothing came of it.

She was drifting further and further away with every step. One last sight of the grove, fading into the trees passed through her recognition, before it too became shrouded in a mist. That sanctuary was gone. The world went dark, and she cursed herself for not bringing her glove.


	4. Out of Their Elements

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Captured, Asami must work with a spirit in order to escape. Meanwhile Korra gives chase as she goes off road for the first time.

Korra tapped her foot expectantly as she went through the bag. Everything looked to be in place. She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at the spirit, who had seemed to already become more interested in something else. “Cause enough trouble today?” she asked.

The spirit’s ears perked up, and his attention focused off somewhere behind her. Korra was about to quip about her not being interesting enough for him, but something about the posture seemed to hint at something more serious. The air had changed, the flow of energy was different, it was something she only noticed because the concentration of spirits amplified senses like that. 

She turned to look, and saw that many of the spirits were either gone, or leaving. “What’s up?” she asked, turning back to the spirit. “Is something wrong?” 

His glow seemed to lesson slightly, his face beginning to twist into another shape, one lacking in its pleasant features. It wasn’t to the level she’d seen when spirits were altogether unbalanced, but it seemed like it was in the beginning stages of that. She took a step back, cautiously eyeing the thing, ready to try to calm it if needed. “Hey, I’m not here to bring you harm. If something’s wrong, I’d like to help.” 

There were times she and the spirits clashed this last year, and sometimes it seemed like they were talking past each other. No one was too keen on listening to each other lately, but she liked to think that the spirits knew on some level, she as the avatar was on their side. She tried to say that in her expression, and the darkness of the spirit began to fade as it calmed down. He shook his head almost like he was physically shaking away the influence of his anger. His dark eyes blinked as he looked on and gestured. 

As he did this, a sound began to roar throughout the valley. Far away at first, but Korra was able to recognize it well enough. A truck was kicking itself into high gear, with wheels grinding against the earth. She jogged back further down the hill to try to see where it was coming from, and soon she had her answer. A hulking iron grey truck ripped through the treeline of the wooded area. It was massive, more a bus than a truck. It sat high on treaded wheels, with glass too dark to see through. Around it flew a cluster of the dragonfly spirits, gone dark with imbalance. They dived and snapped at the truck but weren’t able to make any headway.

It wasn’t hard to guess what it was. She’d seen trucks like that before, and wrecked a fair few herself. Ever since the reintroduction of spirits into the world, and the opening of the third portal, a new crime ring had sprouted up. It hadn’t taken long for a spirit market to pop up, and for poachers to keep that market going. It was dangerous for all involved. Spirits weren’t defenseless by any stretch, and so humans ended up hurt just as often. Thanks to human innovation however, they’d started finding ways to catch spirits. 

Korra wasted no time. The truck was already more than half a mile away and was speeding in the other direction. She gritted her teeth, annoyed with herself for not bringing along her glider. She could catch them on an air wheel, but her eye fell on the car instead. For a moment, she sighed and rolled her eyes. “So much for small steps.” she mused before leaping into the driver seat and starting the thing which seemed to pulse with energy like it was ready and willing to start this chase. She cast a glance to where Asami had disappeared into the trees. A pang of fear tugged at her heart, and she hoped Asami was okay in there.

\---

A violent shake as the truck jolted over a rock caused Asami to stir. Her body was aching from the shock, and her mouth tasted stale as she tried to open her eyes. She was laying on her side, her head resting on a metal bench. Her vision was still blurred, but it was getting clearer as she tried to move. Her arms were tied behind her back, and the same went for her ankles. The dim lights inside the compartment weren’t doing her any favors, but she was starting to make out several figures. Four, no five men, and several spirits, all bound in a similar way as she. Large metal clamps locked on them like collars. 

She tried to sit up, but a hand shoved her back down. “The less trouble you give us, the better it will be for you.” A gruff voice sounded.

Asami’s teeth grinded as she tried to see the man. He was close, if she wasn’t so numb she would have tried to tackle him. After that, she’d make it up as she went along, taking a page out of Korra’s book. She wetted her lips, to get rid of the dryness so as to talk. “You’re making a big mistake.” she said.

The man laughed, but the other men looked nervous still. It was clear kidnapping, at least the human kind wasn’t on their agenda, and they were uncomfortable with it. “We get that a lot.” he jeered. “Just keep quiet, and this will go nice and smoothly.” 

With that, he moved to check the collars on the spirits, all of which tried to crawl away from him. 

As she watched this, she noticed a repetitive sound all around her. Like something striking at the car. 

“It’s the dragonflies.” A soft voice spoke. Asami tried to turn her head, and she found the fox spirit, sitting by her feet, the same collar around his neck. “They’re trying to help us.” the accusation in his voice was gone, though there still seemed to be some ice there. He didn’t blame her, but trust was a fair way off yet too.

“It’ll be hard to break through.” she whispered. Remembering what Korra told her about these poachers. “They make these trucks strong on the outside, and inside.” The implication was clear. It would be just as hard to break through, even for a spirit.

The spirit seemed to recognize this. “There must be something.” It said, as Asami tried to sit up. This time no one stopped her. 

“Don’t worry,” Asami tried to assure, “I wasn’t alone, I was with the avatar. She’ll be on them soon.” these poachers had no idea what was coming for them. It would only be a matter of time, she trusted that. Nothing in the world would stop her from ripping this truck apart.

The fox seemed to consider this. Before looking at the rest of the spirits, who were growing dimmer and dimmer. The color was being sapped from them. Asami followed his gaze, and she was horrified to see that on the wall across from them was a rack of tools. Most she’d never seen before, but their brutish nature made it clear what they were for. “I’m not sure we have time to spare.” The spirit said.

Asami grunted in agreement. The sooner they were out, the better for everyone. Her vision was clear now, and the haze was mostly gone. She was able to see the lock on her ankles, and figured the one on her wrists was much the same. She wasn’t tied to anything, and unfortunately the workmanship on the bands were as solid as the truck. There’d be no way to get out without a key.

Or… a thought crossed her mind. “I think… I can try to unlock these collars.” her voice was a hush, and none of the men seemed to notice. Not wanting to risk any more talking, she caught the fox’s eye and then looked down at her pocket. They hadn’t taken away her toolkit. With some of those, she could try to pick the lock. The spirit understood, but just then the man who had spoken returned. 

“What were you doing out there?” he asked in an iron laced tone.

She glowered at him, not even wanted to attempt charm. “I was on vacation,” she hissed, “And I’m pretty tired of those getting interrupted.”

He scoffed at her and grabbed at the collar around her ankles, making sure the lock was firm. “I recognize you I think. Yeah… Sato right? Some big tech head.” he smirked. “I bet you’ll catch a pretty decent ransom.” 

Asami offered an ice cold retort. “I wouldn’t start counting your money.” just as she said this, the truck gave a violent shake that jostled spirit and captive alike. It wasn’t the road, something had hit them. The poachers started looking at each other concerned, as Asami tried to stifle a smirk. Korra was here.

\--- 

“Sorry Asami!” Korra whined as she veered away from the truck she’d just hit. She didn’t want to think about what the side of the car looked like now. The driver of the truck had seen her, and took a swipe at her that she wasn’t ready to avoid. She didn’t stop though, as she started to turn back to parallel their path. Catching up to the truck had been the easy part, and she had already crashed nearly a dozen times trying. She was keeping pace, but she wasn’t sure what to do. With bending she could stop the truck right now, but that could hurt whatever was inside. She let out a groan, this wasn’t exactly her element, it was like learning to swim by being thrown in the deep end. What would Asami do?

She didn’t have to think about it too long though, a hatch popped open on the top of the truck, and two men began to crawl out. They stood on top, and spotted her. Without hesitation, one shot out a jet of fire, which she only was able to dodge by sheer accident with a gut instinct swerve a moment before certain impact. 

The other poacher looked ahead and planted his feet and several slices of metal slid from the roof of the truck. He allowed the razors to float in the air for a moment before shooting them one after the other. Korra had to duck one, and swerved the car once more to avoid another. There was a ripping sound and she saw the seat behind her had been sliced through by one of the razors, with white upholstery flowing out from the tear.

This, was more her speed, though she was never the one driving when the fight broke out. With one hand on the steering wheel, she threw out a jab with the other, sending a gust of wind. Her aim was true and it hit the firebender square in the chest, knocking him from the roof. He thudded against the ground as they left him far behind. 

Alone now, a flicker of fear passed over the next poacher’s face. In desperation, she saw him beginning to strain as he looked like he was trying to lift something. She realized what he was doing a second before he did, as the car began to struggle. Metal creaked as the passenger side tires began to skid. He was trying to lift the car. “Oh no you don’t!” she called, sending a jet of fire that he only barely ducked. She then swerved the car away to get distance between them, breaking his connection to the metal. 

The car grinded to a halt as she looked after them. She was lucky he hadn’t been able to tear the engine right out. Going toe to toe was going to be dangerous if he got a better grip on the car. It was then that an idea occurred to her. Two could play at that game.

She pressed on the gas, and roared after the truck again, catching up quick enough. The poacher looked furious with all this, throwing a few more razors at her, and these had missed. She waited for her chance, and soon enough it came. He planted his feet once more as that strained look reappeared. 

That look was replaced with confusion, as Korra stood up in the car, planting one foot on the seat, and another on the rim of the passenger door. The poacher looked on with shock, his eyes fixed on the steering wheel. It seemed to dawn on him what was happened as the wheel turned without a touch to follow the path of the truck.

It was taking a fair amount of concentration, but Korra was holding the pedal in place to keep up her speed with her metal bending. Invisible hands were also guiding the steering wheel and she almost wanted to laugh. This was way easier than the normal way. Too dazed to react, the man took a shot of air right to the head, and collided with the ground far below. Korra let out a cheer, momentarily losing her connection to the car, causing it to swerve. She let out a yelp of fear as she jumped back down and planted two hands on the wheel. Maybe not that easy, she admitted. Still she’d have to show that trick to Asami after this was over.

\---

The truck swerved again as another of the poachers climbed up through the hatch. The man who had been talkative had stepped up to the cabin of the truck to bark orders at the driver, leaving only one thug back in the compartment with Asami and the spirits. Luckily for her, he was trying to keep his calm, and looked to be the most nervous one of the bunch. He was fumbling with one of the bolos he had used to nab her. He wouldn’t get a second chance.

Asami had been unable to reach her pocket from where she was. The fox spirits though, was in just the right place. He buried his face into her pocket, and withdrew the rolled up kit with his teeth, before setting it behind her. 

Her fingers weren’t so numb anymore. Adrenaline was a hell of a thing. Her fingers danced over the tie, nimbly unfolding it all. By memory she knew where the tools she was looking for were, and she withdrew two of them. Delicately, she angled her wrists, and tried to find the lock with the tips of the tools. “Have you done this before?” The fox whispered. 

“Yes, but not behind me.” she admitted. She was afraid to think of how much practice she had. It took her a second of fumbling before another swerve sent them careening to the side. Something thudded into the side of the truck enough to dent it. The nervous man let out a cry of fear as the leader snapped at him.

“Keep it together man, and we’ll get out of this.” as he turned, he looked at Asami who pressed herself against the wall so he couldn’t see what she was doing. He glowered, but did nothing, before turning back to the driver.

“Here,” she whispered, “New plan.” The spirit moved closer, and here she could see the lock and approach it from a better angle. It would be better to unlock his first. He only had the one after all. When she was sure neither of the men were watching, she turned, and began to fiddle with the lock, looking over her shoulder but mostly feeling her way through it. There was a click. Then another as one more thud resounded through the metal cage causing another dent, this one closer to the leader. “How much can she bend?” He roared. Asami smiled, oh if he only knew. The next click of the collar was louder then she’d hoped. The nervous man seemed to notice, but wasn’t sure where it came from. It was enough for her to stop.

“You ready?” she asked the spirit. 

He snarled a reply baring his teeth, and she found the last tumbler, and there was one last click. The collar split, and with a roar, the fox spirit seemed to grow, and darken, whatever the collar had been inhibiting was gone. The leader turned and grimaced his face as the spirit used one of it’s newly formed claws to slice through Asami’s bonds. The lead poacher lunged forward, but the fox pounced on him in an instant knocking him away. 

The nervous man looked up, shocked and unsure of what to do as Asami knocked aside the remains of her bands. She stood and faced him down. The man was utterly terrified of the spirit, and met Asami in the eye. She wanted to tell him to surrender, but in gut instinct, he raised the bolo and began to swing it, blue sparks of electricity swirling across the line. She braced herself for the throw as it began to whistle when it cut through the air.

With decent aim, he hurled it at her, but she’d been ready. She ducked below it, spinning to build up momentum, keeping low to the floor of the truck. He was too slow to step back as she brought up her foot behind his knee to sweep him off his feet. He slammed to the metal grate with a smack, looking dazed. Before he could get up, she grabbed both his hands, and clamped the collar that had been around the spirit onto his wrists. “Stay.” she ordered, and he nodded, all the fight having left him.

“The others!” The fox spirit roared, it’s voice no longer soft but a guttural roar. Wanting to be quick, she patted down nervous man, and found his keys. 

The battle in the truck shifted, the fox forcing the leader to the back so Asami could get a chance to get to the rest of the spirits uncontested. They watched the fight with fear, and looked to Asami with gratitude as she began unlocking each of their collars in turn. As each was freed, it would soar into the air, erupting up through the hatch like a flock. 

“No!” Bellowed the leader. He’d been on the back foot, and was covered in claw marks at his shoulders and cheek. The fox spirit turned to see it’s brethren getting away and this was long enough for the man to whip out a long pronged metal bar. 

“Look out!” Asami cried, but it was too late, the poacher jabbed it into the fox’s back and sent a current of blue crackling light across him. He howled with pain before slumping to the floor. 

“I’ll put you down.” the poacher roared. He was so focused on the spirit, that it came as a complete surprise to him when Asami’s foot connected with the side of his head with enough force to send him spinning into the wall. The prod had been launched into the air, and Asami caught it with a flourish and held it up to his throat. He looked at her with fury in his eyes, but held up his hands in surrender. 

Getting up, the fox spirit bared its fangs at the poacher, and made to lung for him. The man gave out a cry of fear, as Asami held up a hand, pressing it along the spirit’s coat. “No!” she insisted. The spirit paused, and looked at her. “It’s not worth it,” she tried to assure, “He’ll face justice. I promise. All of them will.”

The spirit snorted, but made no move to ignore her. “If you insist.” the dark glow of him began to fade, as his regular shape seemed to slowly come back. 

The poacher had been sweating profusely. He let out a sigh of relief that was just a touch too smug for Asami’s liking. “But…” she smiled, holding out the grip of the prod for the fox. “It might be better to knock him out for now.”

It was hard to tell with the mask like face, but she thought the fox might have smiled. It clamped its fangs around the handle, and activated it, blue sparks dancing between the prongs. The poacher let out a cry as he was jabbed in the gut. He slumped to the ground, as his eyes rolled back before closing. That was gonna sting when he woke up. 

“Come.” the spirit said, dropping the prod. Asami unlocked the last few collars, and the fox made sure all were well and able to get through the hatch. The truck was beginning to shake violently as the road seemed to be more uneven. Asami stood beneath the hatch and stood on the bench in order to reach it. 

The fox spirit seemed to shudder, and went dark one more time, he rushed into the cabin, and Asami heard a terrible roar along with a scream of terror. He reappeared in his regular form with that same almost smile. “So he won’t forget.” the fox said smoothly. 

Asami smiled, and started lifting herself out of the hatch. She wondered how Korra and the car were holding up?

\---

At first Korra wasn’t sure of what she was seeing. A few seconds after she’d taken out the last poacher who’d crawled out to fight, a multicolored cloud of spirits were exploding from the open hatch. They didn’t hang around and wasted no time before flying off back home. Even the dragonflies had stopped their attack and were now flying back home as well.

She breathed a sigh of relief, as she’d been pulling her punches up till now, not wanting to hurt anything too badly. She was getting ready to do what she could now to stop the truck when she saw a pair of hands rise out of the hatch to grab on to the sides. She expected another thug, and was utterly flabbergasted to see Asami haul herself up and on top of the truck. “Asami!?” she called in confusion and surprised. How’d she get in there? Asami turned to see her and waved. She called something out but Korra couldn’t make it out. Asami knelt above the hatch and helped to lift another spirit out. It was sleek and thin, reminding her of a fox. The two seemed to know each other, as the fox didn’t immediately jump away like the rest had. 

The truck was picking up speed. Knowing they’d lost, obviously, they wanted to get out of here as fast as possible. It was enough to cause Asami to shake on unsteady footing, and for a terrifying moment Korra thought she was about to fall, but she regained her footing and started moving to the back of the truck. She waved again and called, this time Korra heard her.

“Pull up behind them!” she yelled. Korra gave a thumbs up, though she wasn’t sure if this was a good idea. She wasn’t the most steady driver, even now. The truck lurched and against the pair shook. Korra did her best to line up right behind them. 

They looked like they were ready to jump once she was close enough. “Be careful!” Korra shouted, ready and rearing to catch them should anything go wrong. Which of course it was going to, she thought. 

They braced, but lost balance as the truck swerved sharply to the right. Asami turned her head and began to shout. “Look out!” Korra looked and saw why. A massive rock jutted out from the ground. Korra had to spin the wheel like a top to avoid it, and to her despair she heard a crunch as she slid past. She hoped Asami didn’t see that. Again she sped up to get behind the truck, as Asami was getting back to her feet.

“Now!” Korra called. “Go now!” The longer this lasted the riskier it would be. Asami nodded, and Korra watched her take a breath. She took a step back and lunged forward, but at that same moment, the truck increased its speed, and the jump would be too far. It was too late, Asami was already leaping through the air. 

In a flash, Korra once more stood, trying to face Asami as she began to twist her hands in a tantric rhythm. With one foot perched on the seat, she started to form the air bubble below Asami and the spirit, holding them up in the air just a second before they crashed into the hood. It was a tough maneuver, and it took all her concentration to slow them down. She flew them into the back seat, and the two landed with a squeak into the plush cushions, messy but alive. 

Korra let off the gas, and slowly the car rolled to a stop on the plain, dust and smoke swirling around them all. Asami was breathing heavily, and Korra realized she’d been too. Seeing her go through the air, it had been terrifying to imagine what could happen. Korra was over the seat in a second, wrapping her arms around Asami, making sure she was in one piece.

Asami beat her to the question first. “Are you okay?” the concern was so clear in her voice, it was enough to warm her heart like nothing else in the world.

“Forget about me. What happened to you?” she asked, still clinging closely to her, wanting to feel her heart beating to know it was real. 

“We’re fine.” she insisted with a breathless laugh. “We got caught together. When you started hitting the truck, you gave us a chance to get away.” she was beaming, positively sunny to be back with her. “ Thanks for coming after the spirits.” 

“You have my thanks.” the spirit voiced, startling Korra a little, but she nodded in reply, and let Asami go.The spirit turned its head to Asami and nodded. “And you human. Thank you as well.” Korra watched, and something seemed to pass between them there she thought as Asami smiled. She’d have to ask about that later. Korra looked up to see the truck far away. It was her responsibility, and it wasn’t over yet.

She stood, and leapt out of the car onto the ground, feeling the earth beneath her boots. “Are all the spirits safe?” she asked, looking out after the truck. It had gone a good distance by now, but not far enough she thought. 

“Yeah, we got them out.” Asami said. 

Korra let out a calming breath, as a force began to pulse from her, rippling the grass below like a rolling tide. A strong wind began to circle around her as her hair lifted into the air. At the end of her breath, she felt the surge of energy course through her as her eyes went brilliant white. It had been awhile since she’d entered the avatar state, and it felt like coming home. With a clear focus, she slammed her foot into the dirt below.

Far off, nearly a half mile away, the truck was speeding away. A rumbling coursed through the earth, a few cracks appearing on the surface shooting in a line after the truck. She judged the distance as best she could, enough to stop them, but not enough to seriously hurt them. She found it and a wall of earth arose from below several dozen yards in front of the truck. There was a terrible screeching as the truck slammed on its breaks. It hit the mound with a decent thunk, but it was a manageable crash.

The wind faded, as Korra allowed the energy to dissipate. “Oh.” she heard Asami behind her. She turned to see her stepping out of the back seat, holding a hand at her breast over her heart. The fox spirit was gone. The pair looked for him, and found his pale silhouette disappearing over a nearby hill. “I wanted to say goodbye.” her voice was soft, tinged with a touch of sadness. Korra stepped towards her as Asami took in the sight of her car, long pale scratches went the entire length of it, and the passenger door along with a part of the hood was terribly mashed and dented. 

Korra went red, guilt running through her. So she was surprised when again, she found Asami’s arms wrapped around her. “I’m glad you’re okay.” she sighed thankfully.

“Me too. I mean, I’m glad you are too.” she stuttered. “Asami?” she asked. Asami lifted her chin from her shoulder to look at her. “I’m really sorry about your car.”

Asami laughed, softly, the sweetest smile growing across her face as she moved back into the hug. “No worries. It will give us something to fix together.”


	5. In Your Arms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Returning home, it seems Korra had a little surprise planned all along.

It was late in the evening when they pulled into the drive back home. The sun was just a brilliant orange sliver on the horizon, and the sky was utterly beautiful. A rainbow of pinks, soft reds, and yellows.

The car made it all the way home, in one piece no less. Korra had been more worried about that than Asami had. She had apologized all the way home no matter how many times Asami insisted that there was nothing to worry about. Asami knew the damage was mostly superficial, and it wouldn’t take more than a few afternoons to get it back into shape. Especially with a bender at her side. Of course Korra was eager to help however she could, insisting she’d make it up to her and then some. Asami looked forward to that, almost giddy to think about working in the shop beside Korra.

They’d been able to contact the local authorities, and held the poacher till they arrived to whisk them away. As they did, the spirits began to return, repopulating the valley. Asami never was able to catch a glimpse of that fox spirit after he had vanished. A part of her felt sad at that, and wondered if she’d ever see him again. It’s not as if she knew him very well, but action and danger had a way of bonding people, so she assumed the same could be true of spirits. Korra had said it was possible and that stranger things had happened. “Don’t give up on that.” she’d said.

After that, the return home had been mostly uneventful which both were thankful for. It may have been weird, but Asami actually enjoyed the trip. As a whole of course but also that last stretch. It was so good to spend time with Korra, there was so much to say and do, that she decided to view the whole escapade with the poachers as a minor detour. She wasn’t going to let it spoil their time together, and if the smile on Korra’s face was anything to go by, it hadn’t spoiled it for her either. Hiccup aside, it had been a wonderful time, and Asami had been happier then she’d felt in a long time. Those moments with Korra, were lights which illuminated her life. She was never happier, nor more content then when they were hand in hand.

One, thing did remain over her, like a cloud. She hadn’t said anything yet, but it had been there, festering within her like a nascent fear. Sometimes she couldn’t help but to focus on those nibbling doubts 

The car came to a stop in the garage, shutting down with a pur so she knew that at least the engine was still okay. Korra took her hand for a moment with a grin on her face. “Feels good to be home right?” She asked, before jumping out of her seat and starting to fumble with her bags. Asami remained seated for a moment, that nibbling worry still there. She had to say something.

She stood and held one hand to her arm. “Korra.” she began. She turned to her, and waited for her to continue. “Those weapons they had… have you seen them before?” 

Korra nodded.

“I think, they were my dad’s designs. Modified, but the idea came from him.”

Korra knew where this was going and so took Asami by the arms. “And that’s not your fault.” she insisted.

“I know.” Asami replied, not fully believing it. “I just can’t stand to think of those things being used to hurt spirits. I hate that no matter how much time goes by, that past still comes back to haunt us.” it seemed like she could never get out from under the shadow of what her father had done. The mistakes he’d made. 

“They won’t be hurting anyone. Not for much long. Those gangs are on the run. We hit em hard, and it’ll make them think twice.” she smiled warmly. “Small steps right? I promise, this isn’t on you. Don’t beat yourself up, please.” What followed next, she didn’t say, but Korra could read it in her eyes. ‘You’re not your father.’

Those words had been said by her own thoughts, but hearing it from Korra, made them so much easier to trust. So much more real. That always seemed to be the case. Korra always knew exactly what to say, and had a way about her that just lightened the mood. Asami could never be too lost, where Korra couldn’t find her to bring her up. She was her light in the dark.

So she nodded, and flashed a smile. “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s what I’m here for. Now, I’ll get this stuff inside.” she said, and Asami wondered if she didn’t seem a bit excited when she said that. Before she could ask about it though, the bags were in Korra’s hands and she was out the door.

Asami narrowed her eyes, suspecting something, but she didn’t mind, and took a moment for herself. She stood there, alone in the garage for a few minutes, trying to digest everything. The last year, the ever changing role of her business, the responsibility that carried, her relationship with Korra. Life had just spun so wildly these last few years, and it just kept going. Every time she thought there was a status quo, something would overturn it. She felt Korra was going through the same thought process. In fact, she had probably hit upon that feeling before Asami had. It was all so much to deal with, she wasn’t sure how Korra was able to manage.

Then the answer seemed to come to her simple enough. The same way you do Asami. By not being alone. That’s how they’d always gotten through it. The whole gang of them. Whatever came over that horizon, whatever trouble popped its ugly head up next, they could deal with it together.

She ran her hand again along the lines of scratches and dents of the car. She’d been honest, she didn’t mind. It was something to fix, and that’s what she loved. That was her hobby, what she did for fun. There was truely no harm. Korra still had worried so much about hurting her feelings, she wasn’t quite used to that yet. She’d been alone for three years. Not entirely of course, she saw Mako and Bolin now and again, but she had had no one, truly close, who was there for her in those painful moments. In this garage, among this house built by her father, she thought back and wondered if she’d been alone for much longer. At the time, it seemed like she had a good relationship with him. They were all each other had after her mother was killed. They were all each other could rely on. Of course, that was thrown into question after his turn. She wondered how close they ever really were, if he’d lost his love entirely. It was something she’d grappled with ever since. The one comfort, was he hadn’t been alone in his final moments. She could remember his voice so clearly, the calmness of his words. He’d sounded…. content.

What she had with Korra, was different than anything she’d had before. She wasn’t alone. She didn’t have to hide what she felt, to suppress when she was going through a painful time. She didn’t have to put on a face, because Korra loved her true one.

Asami let out a sigh as she tried to steady herself, done with this reminiscing and ruminating. Then she left the garage, turning off the light behind her as she always did. Immediately, she was surprised by what she saw. Stepping out onto the path up to the main doors, her foot brushed up against something round. She picked it up, and saw that it was a racing helmet. What on earth she thought. How did this get here? It took her a second to register that it was blue, and she wondered… 

Beneath it, and continuing on, she saw a trail of petals, rose in their color that wound up the path. She couldn’t help but smile at the gesture, dramatic as it was. She followed the trail the helmet tucked beneath her arm. She reached the wide double doors. She took an excited breath before opening them,

At once her breath was blown away. The entire entry hall was lined with a dozen candles, the lights were dimmed, and the entire place had been decorated. She half expected confetti to rain down from the sky. Ribbons and lace were tied about the corners of the room, with a smattering of white lily petals across the marble floor. To her right, in the study she heard the soft melody of a song being played, not over the radio but over a gramophone that her father had kept. The tune was light and soft, something Asami remembered vaguely. At the center of all of this, halfway up the stairs, stood Korra.

She looked down, the widest grin she’d ever seen across her face as she slowly descended the stairs. She was gowned in a sapphire dress, one she hadn’t seen her wear before. Still it had the style of the water tribe. Her hair was tied back in the same bun she’d worn to Varrick and Zhu Li’s wedding. Asami had to giggle, wondering how long she’d been in the garage for Korra to pull off that quick change. She was utterly stunning, sparkling blue eyes flickering with the candlelight. She reached the last step, and met Asami in the center of the room. 

“Korra? What is all this?” she asked, utterly amazed. It was like she’d wandered into a dream. 

Korra smiled, and cast her glance to the floor. “Last week, when I was away… that was our anniversary.” she said. 

Asami was dumbstruck, and immediately went red. “Oh Korra I…” she began but Korra took her by the hand.

“It’s okay. I forgot too. We were apart and so busy with other things. So… I wanted to make up for it being a little late, by making it memorable. After all, it only matters when you celebrate it!”

Asami was almost too taken for words. Her eyes were even growing a touch glossy at the thought. Suddenly a few things fell into place. Her telegrams the week before, how excited she was to go on the road trip. It had been to get her out of the house so she could plan this. Asami finally found her voice, quiet as it was.

“Korra… this is…” she couldn’t even finish. She took a moment to collect herself. “It’s amazing. Did you…”

“I had a few partners in crime. Opal jumped at the chance to help set this up. Jinora, Bolin, even Mako added a little flare.” she chuckled. With every moment Asami was more and more grateful to have a family like this. It meant the absolute world to her. 

“I don’t know what to say…” Asami said. 

Korra leaned up, wrapped Asami in her arms, and gently kissed her. It had been overdue. They were lost in that moment. The sound of that song carried them away. Asami raised her hand to Korra’s cheek, as their lips parted. 

Now it was Korra’s turn to be hushed and blush. “I… just wanted to make it up to you. All the trouble I get you into. So I wanted a perfect night for us. A date with no interruptions for once where nothing goes wrong, no gangs or responsibility. Just you, me and some peace and quiet.”

Asami laughed, taking Korra’s hand in her own. Their fingers locked, and each gave a tight squeeze. “We get each other into trouble. We’re quite the pair.” she mused. “I’d go through all the trouble in the world if I went through it with you.”

Korra’s smile twitched, as she tried to hold back the emotion that was welling within her. Those bluest blue eyes were starting to well too. “I hope you mean that cause I get the feeling we probably will.” she laughed.

“No doubt, and I do.” Asami smiled. “As long as I’m with you, I think I can do anything.” 

Korra smiled, and offered to take the helmet. Asami let her and Korra smirked as she took a lingering look at it. “I still feel bad about being so snarky when we first met.” she mused. “I’ve come a long way.”

“We both have.” Asami remembered that second day, when she’d seen Korra genuinely smile for the first time. It had felt nice then, and wonderful now. She wouldn’t have changed a thing. Korra set the helmet off to the side, and returned, holding out her hand for Asami. She took it, and the two pressed themselves together, as they began to dance in rhythm with the music. Asami rested her head against Korra’s.

“Thank you.” she sighed. “For all of it.”

“You deserve it.” Asami was touched by the tenderness of her tone, as once more the pair were lost in the music. After a long time, of only each other’s touch, Korra lifted her head to offer a smile. “Happy anniversary Asami. I love you.”

Asami’s heart was beating fast, as once more their lips touched with the softness both so desperately needed. “I love you too. Always.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! I'm so glad to have been a part of the positivity you yourself have spread! Thanks so much for making this such a wonderful community, and congratulations!!!


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